Guardians of the Watchtowers
by linniestorm
Summary: During the circle casting of a ritual, Willow accidentally unleashes the force of the Guardians of the Watchtowers in physical form, the physical forms of Xander, Oz, Cordelia and Giles.


**  
****Guardians of the Watchtowers**

TITLE: Guardians of the Watchtowers  
AUTHOR: Lindsay Ince (chicago_heat@hotmail.com)  
DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox, Mutant Enemy, and any other guys it belongs to. I only toy with them for my own amusement and it gives me something better to do than revision. No copyright infingement intended, and all that. I am being sincere ... honestly.  
ARCHIVE: http://www.stas.net/blurred  
DISTRIBUTION: Please e-mail me first. Simply so I know where its gonna be and I can come and look, and admire, and show my Mum. Thanks :)  
SUMMARY: During the circle casting of a ritual, Willow accidentally unleashes the force of the Guardians of the Watchtowers in physical form, the physical forms of Xander, Oz, Cordelia and Giles. Willlow and Buffy must work together to figure out what the force is and reverse it to get back their friends before they destroy Sunnydale.  
AUTHORS NOTES: This story is not a true representation of Wicca. Believe me, what happens in this story does not happen in real life. I've Jossified it for plot purposes. I just wanted to make that quite clear. Its set someime around the beginning of Season 3, post-Buffy returning to Sunnydale, post-Angels return but pre-Willow/Xander entanglement, which also means there's no Spike, much to my own disappointment. Ah well, there's always next time. Thanks to Jamie for beta-reading and all the tips!  
FEEDBACK: I'll name my first born after you if you give some feedback. Please direct to e-mail address above.  
  
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Buffy released her hand, jabbing the oncoming vampire with all of the force she could muster.  
  
"Take that!" she yelled.  
  
He was momentarily knocked off balance, but he stood up again and said in a menacing voice, "These are your last moments on Earth slayer, I hope you've enjoyed them."  
  
They launched towards each other, hands and legs flailing as each attempted to gain the upper hand. He was strong, but she was stronger. He landed a few punches to her face and arms but it didn't put her off. She punched him full in the face, and sent him flying. He hit the ground a few feet away from her.   
  
Buffy fell into a casual stance with her hands on her hips.   
  
"I've heard it all before pal, and you know what? I've found that you guys are all talk, and very little action. Do you mind if I don't bet on that?"  
  
The vampire ran towards her, looking as though he was prepared to break her neck and soon as he caught her. Just as he approached, she half-turned, and with powerful leg action kicked him in the chest.   
  
The vampire fell back. He was gasping, she could almost say he was winded, if he had needed to breathe. Relentless as her foes often were, it took only a few seconds for him to get back on his feet and make another attempt at charging her. He jumped up and tried to grab her, but she was too quick for him. She threw him over her hip and he hit the ground bouncing like a tennis ball.  
  
As Buffy waited for him to get to his feet again, she had more than enough time to get a perfect battle stance ready. She stood with her feet apart, left arm up for balance and self-defence, right arm raised behind her, stake in hand, ready to finish the job. The vampire charged. As he reached her, Buffy rammed the stake home and stepped back as he exploded into dust.  


From the sidelines Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordelia clapped and cheered.  
  
"Yay Buffy!" Willow called.   
  
Buffy smiled, as she turned to face them and walked over to the wall they were sitting on. "Hey, since when did slaying become a spectator sport?" she asked, with mock annoyance.  
  
"Oh, I know this one," Xander said, looking skyward for inspiration. "Isn't it a new event at the Summer Olympics in Sydney this year?"  
  
"It's odd," Oz put in as they all began to head back towards town. "Violent, yet strangely compelling." After finishing what he meant to say, he fell into his usual silence.  
  
"You were great," Willow said loyally. "You're always great."  
  
"Yeah, but you must ruin so many outfits this way," Cordelia commented. "Does vampire dust stain?"  
  
Buffy chose to ignore the remark as she questioned the group. "Have any of you noticed its getting easier to kill them nowadays? I mean, take that guy, he went towards the stake almost as if it was a magnet."  
  
"I wouldn't worry, Buff," Xander said. "He probably just knew he didn't have a chance and decided to give it up."  
  
"Yeah, I mean, you're Buffy, the invincible Buffy. Word probably gets around," Willow added.  
  
"Yeah, probably," Buffy said uncertainly.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So Willow?" Xander asked as he flicked through a dusty old spell book. "Are we in for some wicked Wicca action tonight?"  
  
Willow rolled her eyes and grabbed the book out of his hands. "Xander," she said, giving him a withering glance. "Be serious."  
  
Xander put his hands up in a mock defensive gesture. "Hey, I'm only trying to be supportive of the witchy activities here. There's no need to have a wiggins about it."  
  
"Wiggins? there is no wiggins here. It's just ... This is my place, you know, magicy place is Willow's place. Its my territory ... You know like a lion. Or, or ..."  
  
"A wolf," Xander interjected, deadpan.  
  
Willow rolled her eyes again. "You know what I mean. This is like my special place. My sanctuary."  
  
"Oh, you have a special place. That's sweet. If you overlook the fact that Willow's special place is an inanimate building full of dusty things."  
  
"I just can't take you anywhere, can I?" Willow said with a sigh as she gathered up her purchases. He was left leaning against one of the bookcases as she headed towards the counter.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The sun shone down the pavement as they strolled down the main street. Willow hugged a brown paper grocery bag to her chest.  
  
"Don't you wish it snowed more!" Willow suddenly exclaimed.  
  
"Will, it's September. No, its September in California. Even by normal meteorological standards, there's usually not much in the way of anything below 120."  
  
"I know that. But, you know, it's ... snow. It's sentimental. It's snowmen, Christmas. Makes you feel all warm and cosy inside," she finished, hugging the bag a little closer for a second.  
  
"Will, it's snow. By definition its nothing like warm and cosy. It's cold and icy and kinda shivery," said Xander shaking his head and using shivery movements to illustrate his argument.   
  
Willow tutted, "You know what I mean. Hey!" She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to him. "That could be a practice spell. You know a snow spell! 'Cause that'd be cool right?"  
  
"Why don't you wait for Christmas?" Xander asked. "On the other hand, a really bad snow storm could close school. No, let's do it right now."  
  
~~~~~  
  
As they walked through the park, they began looking around until they spotted Buffy sitting under a tree with picnic basket and food arranged around her. She looked up and smiled as she saw them approach.  
  
"Hey. Successful shopping trip?" she asked.  
  
"Yep." Willow smiled happily as she swapped her shopping bag for a sandwich and bit into it cheerily.  
  
Xander dived down on to the blanket and began rummaging through the food.  
"Ah, Saint Buffy, patron saint of weary travellers ... and witches," he said motioning to Willow, "and so much more fun to look at than a Saint Bernard."  
  
"Thanks Xander," said Buffy, then made a weird face. "I think. So how did it go? Wherever you went, I mean. You know, to the place in which I was not invited."  
  
"Buffy, it wasn't like that," Willow said quickly.  
  
"Yeah, Buff," Xander smiled. "Besides, if you came with us, who would bring the food?"   
  
Buffy scowled at him and leaned over to try and swipe him across the head. He avoided her clumsy attempt easily.  
  
"You didn't miss much. Although I did interrupt Willows bonding session with her special place." Xander said, raising a grin from Buffy.  
  
"Which is ... " Buffy prompted.  
  
"The magic shop."  
  
"Oh, I see," she said trying to keep a straight face. "Now Will, is it time we had that little talk about getting attached to inanimate objects. 'Cause you know, I too have suffered." She patted her stake secreted halfway under the rug. "There is help out there, you aren't alone."  
  
"Oh, you can mock," Willow said in a sulky voice. "It'll be different when you want a snow spell done. Then you won't make fun."  
  
"A snow spell?" Buffy asked, turning to Xander with a bewildered look on her face.  
  
"Oh, never mind it was one of those nonsense conversations Willow came up with," he said.  
  
"Oh, well ... we're sorry Will," Buffy said apologetically. "We're totally on board with the whole magic thing. Anything we can do to help, just ask."  
  
"Well, actually, I was thinking about trying a spell tonight and calling the corners. I could do with some corner people, you know gives me focus and support and everything."  
  
"Corners?" Xander said, in a mystified voice. "What are corners? Whose corners? Where are the corners?"  
  
"Corners," Willow said slowly with emphasis. She sounded very much like a teacher explaining something really simple to small child. "In Wicca, when you cast a circle you invoke the power of the corners -"  
  
"Wait, wait, wait," Xander interrupted. "If it's a circle, doesn't that autmoatically rule out corners?"  
  
"I'm trying to explain it to you if you'd just listen!" She exclaimed moodily.  
  
Buffy giggled at Willow's tone as she listened to them, then as she caught Willow's eye tried to keep a straight face.  
  
"As I was saying," Willow continued. "You invoke the power of the four corners, where the corners are the compass points. North, East, south and West. They also correspond to other things, like the four elements. You know, water, fire, etcetera."  
  
"Oh, now I understand." Xander said, looking just as confused as before.  
  
"So will you help," Willow asked hopefully.  
  
"Tonight?" Buffy pulled a face. "Tonight's difficult. I'm way behind with Math, and I could do with some serious catch-up."  
  
Willows face fell. "Oh, it's okay. I can do it on my own I guess."  
  
"Sorry. Really," Buffy said, feeling awful.   
  
"Hey, Cordy and I aren't doing anything tonight. Will we do? I mean, we're kinda perfect. Cordy just personifies air, don't you think?" Xander grinned.  
  
"Alexander Harris, that's mean," Willow admonished. "Oz said he'd help but that's only three."  
  
"Aren't you the fourth?" Xander asked.   
  
"No, I sit in the middle and do ritually stuff," Willow replied.  
  
Buffy suddenly exclaimed and looked excited.  
"I've got it! Giles! He can stand in for me. He'll enjoy it. It's magic stuff, and he can keep an eye on you. He can be Buffy for tonight."  
  
Xander looked thoughtful for a second then said, "Hands up anyone else that that creates a disturbing mental image for?"  
  
Buffy and Willow put up their hands as a look of distaste swept over all three of them.  
  
Xander sneaked close to Buffy and said in a half whisper, "This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact Giles being in watcher mode for Willow would give you the night off."  
  
Buffy smirked and quickly covered it up. "No, no way. This is a completely selfless act. For Will," she finished, nodding to emphasise her motives.   
  
They looked at her, eyebrows raised in disbelief.  
  
"Okay, okay, one night is all I'm asking, without the sacred duty stuff. I'll still patrol." Buffy said, trying to shake the guilty feeling they inflicted on her.   
  
"Sure you will," Xander said, obviously not believing a word she said.  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
In the library, Giles was intently studying a book on demonology when Buffy, Willow and Xander walked in. He looked up as he heard the noise of their conversation and smiled. "Ah, good afternoon."  
  
"Hey Giles," Buffy answered for them. They all sat round the table in the centre of the library and waited for him to join them.  
  
"So what's new in the demon world today, Mr Bookman?" Xander asked.  
  
"It's actually something rather interesting," Giles started. He had his back to them, then looking round, he interrupted his train of thought and said, "And don't call me Mr. Bookman, Xander."  
  
"Sorry," Xander replied.  
  
"What's the big hoo-hah all about then Giles?" Willow asked.  
  
"Hoo-hah!" Buffy said with surprise. "That's a very un-Willowish term, Will."  
  
"No, its not. Well, its actually an Oz term, but I made it an Oz and Willow term. Why, does it sound wrong if it's not him saying it?" she suddenly sounded worried.  
  
"No, very coupley," Buffy said smiling at her.  
  
She grinned shyly. "Well, we are a couple."  
  
"Now, if we could get back to the matter at hand..." Giles interrupted.  
  
Buffy reigned herself in. "Sorry Giles, carry on."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Yes, well, it seems tonight is rather an important night for demons. I've been reading this very interesting book I've just had shipped over from England and it tells of a mystical energy force that is released on one day every hundred years near all hellmouths that controls all evil forces and holds them in check for about forty-eight hours."  
  
"Oh, like a mystical Buffy energy force," Xander quipped.  
  
"Actually yes, no one knows how it came into being, but it seems to quieten down vampires and demons for a few days. Have you noticed that recently, Buffy?"  
  
"Yeah, the bad guys have been a little less forthcoming the last week or so," she said thoughtfully. "Does that mean I get the night off?"  
  
"Well... I'd still do a short patrol. I'm not exactly sure of the details of this force, there isn't much written on it, it may have some unforeseen side effects you might have to deal with." Giles explained.  
  
"Okay, I'll patrol, but then I get the night off, right?" Buffy insisted.  
  
Giles sighed and shrugged his shoulders, admitting defeat.  
  
"Oh Giles!" Willow exclaimed. "Can you help me tonight? I'm doing a circle casting, and I need another corner."  
  
"I really don't think its a good idea to do magic tonight. This energy force could affect it," Giles said worriedly.  
  
Willow's face fell. "But Giles, everything is set up now. And you can supervise. We can do it here. It won't put you out, and it'll only take an hour."  
  
"Very well." Giles smiled. "Why doesn't everyone meet here at eight?"  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
"Honey, I'm going," Joyce Summers said as she stood at her daughter's bedroom door.  
  
Lying on the bed with textbooks ranged round her Buffy looked up and smiled. "Okay Mom. Have a good evening."  
  
"I will. Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Joyce asked.  
  
"Fine, just doing homework."  
  
"Will you be patrolling later?" The worried look returned to Joyce's eyes as she asked.  
  
"Probably, not for long. Everything has been kind of quiet lately."  
  
"Is that a good thing?" Joyce asked, hope suddenly entering her tone.  
  
"Well, it is now, but quiet usually means something loud is on the way," Buffy said.  
  
"You sound like the voice of experience," her mother said.  
  
"I am," Buffy replied.  
  
"Oh." Her mother's face fell.   
  
"Mom, don't worry. Just have a nice time," Buffy said, trying to reassure her.  
  
"I'll try. Bye honey," she said.  
  
Buffy looked back down at her work but didn't focus on it. Instead she listened for the sound of the front door closing behind her mother. As soon as it did, she jumped up and cleared away her books. Grabbing her jacket and bag, she climbed out of her bedroom window and in a few minutes was walking down the street towards the edge of town.  
  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
It was a fairly mild night, but as she drew nearer the centre of town a slight drizzle had begun which became a full on storm by the time she reached the mansion on Crawford street. There was a single light on near the back as she came in through the garden.  
  
She entered the house through the French doors and saw Angel sitting on the couch engrossed in a book. The butterflies in her stomach that arrived with every meeting with him were getting easier to control, probably due to the fact she had a mantra that she repeated incessantly every time she saw him. 'I'm not in love with Angel. I'm not in love with Angel,' she repeated as she went into the house.  
  
As Buffy watched him, he almost seemed to sense and looked up. A slight smile flickered over his features before being replaced by the ambivalent face he usually wore.   
  
"Hi," he said softly.  
  
"Hi," she replied. "I came to see how you were doing."  
  
"Progress report?"  
  
"Yeah, kinda."  
  
"I'm okay. On the mend," he said.  
  
"Good. I can't stay long. I've got a lot of homework tonight." she said quickly, wondering why she always needed to make excuses. Were they for him or for herself?  
  
"Oh," his face fell for a moment. "Well, was there anything else you wanted? I don't want to keep you from your schoolwork."  
  
She hated this. The way one of them always ended the conversation before either of them wanted it to end. Now she had no choice but to leave.  
  
"Well, I might see you later in the week then."  
  
"Maybe, if you have the time."  
  
His voice was bitter. She couldn't blame him really; it was her that had ended their relationship. It was her that had told him she only wanted friendship.   
  
Buffy walked slowly home, wishing the world was a different place, but knowing it would never be simple for her. Something would always get in the way in her life. She wondered how long she would be able to put up with it.  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
At eight o'clock Cordelia and Xander walked into the darkened library and found Oz lighting candles on the counter.   
  
"Hey," he said in his usual tone before going back to what he was doing.  
Willow and Giles came out of the office and greeted them.  
  
"So what exactly do we have to do?" Cordelia asked uncertainly.  
  
"It's quite simple, really, Cordy. All you have to do is sit in a corner, holding a candle, and I'll do the rest. It'll be fun, I promise." Willow smiled.  
  
"Okay," Cordelia answered still uncertain. "What corner am I?"  
  
Willow walked towards the tiled circle on the floor of the library. "We'll use this as a template. Are we ready to start?"  
  
Oz nodded.  
  
"Now. Giles if you can grab the red candle and sit here at South," she said beckoning to one point of the circle. "Cordy, take the White candle and sit here at East." She walked to the next point. "Oz, you're Earth. That's the green candle and you sit at the North. Xander, you're Water; you sit at West with the blue candle. Now, when we start you light them and I -"  
  
Xander walked between where Oz and Cordelia were sitting to the middle of the circle where Willow was standing.  
  
"What! I'm on the swim team for less than a week and suddenly I'm the designated water corner for the rest of eternity? Why can't Giles be water? I want to be fire, there's fire in me!" Xander whined.  
  
"About as much as a damp match," said Cordelia sarcastically.  
  
"Xander, do as you're told," Giles barked as he sat at South.  
  
Xander went back to the counter and grabbed the blue candle sulkily, then took his position at the west point of the circle.  
  
  
* * * * *

As Willow sat in the middle and prepared herself for the ritual, the others heard the rain pelting down on the roof above them.  
  
Xander watched as Willow began a soft chant. The others looked at each other, none of them, but Giles knowing what would happen next. Giles watched Willow, who was facing him, intently. He nodded approvingly as the chant continued, obviously pleased with her progress.   
  
As she finished, she stood up. Giles motioned to the other three to light their candles so Willow wouldn't have to break her concentration. They each lit them and waited for the next move.   
  
Willow, turning to face Cordelia, began an invocation to the Guardians of the Watchtowers, first to the East, then to the South facing Giles, then she turned to Xander, the West. As she turned to Oz to complete the circle, Xander heard a loud crash of thunder outside, suddenly a flash of light surrounded them as she finished the invocation. Cordelia's scream was the last thing he heard as he lapsed into unconsciousness.  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
Willow groaned as she woke up and squirmed a little, trying to remember what happened. She sat up, confused and looked around at the empty library. What happened? She couldn't remember, there were four candles lying at four different points of the circle but the room was gloomy. Suddenly it came back to her. The ritual! But where were the others? She couldn't remember.  
  
"Oz? Xander? Giles?" she got up and put her hand to her head and felt a bump. It must have been from when she hit the ground. She walked around the library but it seemed deserted. "Cordelia?" she called again as she stepped in Giles' office.   
  
Where was everyone? Willow left the library and walked through the school corridors aimlessly. There was definitely no one about. She decided to head for Giles' house. He was sure to be there, and maybe the others were there too. Maybe they just didn't see her, or were waiting for her there. It seemed strange though, she couldn't imagine they'd leave the library and just leave her unconscious. Something must have happened.   
  
~~~~~  
  
She wandered out of the high school and headed toward Giles' place. As she walked up the path toward his apartment, she saw a flame flickering in the window. Unaware she was saying anything aloud she cried out, "Oh God, his apartment's on fire!" Breaking into a run as she neared the door, it didn't strike her as odd that it was slightly ajar. She bounded through and shouted desperately "Giles! GILES! Where are you?"  
  
Running upstairs, she headed towards where she had seen the flames. She stopped dead as she went through the door, as she saw Giles within a circle of flames looking serene, almost as though he had been meditating.  
  
"Giles?" she said in a small, uncertain voice.  
  
He turned his head to look at her, correction he almost seemed to look right through her as though she wasn't even human. He said nothing.  
  
"Giles," she insisted. "It's me, Willow. Are you all right? What happened?"  
  
"Willow," he said, as though he had never heard the word before. "You did this."  
  
"Yes, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen. Wait a minute, what has happened? I was knocked out what went wrong? Where are Xander and Cordelia and Oz?"   
  
"You ask many questions, even for a seeker," he commented.  
  
"Pardon me?" Willow was now totally confused.  
  
She didn't receive an answer, he simply turned his head back around and sat there.  
  
Willow stepped closer and tried again. "Giles - "  
  
She couldn't get out the rest of the sentence before the fire around him leapt up to higher than her head and he was completely obscured from view.  
  
"Giles!" she shouted. As she stepped back from the searing heat, the flames began to die down.  
  
"You...you control the fire?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"I am the Guardian of the Watchtower of the South. Guardian of Fire, powers of feeling and energy."  
  
"Oh no, what have I done?" Willow felt completely alone. "Where are the others?"  
  
"Others?" Giles intonation with indifference.  
  
"Yes, Xander, Oz and Cordelia," Willow snapped impatiently.  
  
Giles gave no answer. In exasperation, Willow left his apartment and walked straight toward Buffy's house.  
  
"She'll know what to do. Buffy always knows what to do," she said, trying to convince herself.  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
As she neared 1630 Revello Drive, she was thrown to the floor by the sudden arrival of an earthquake. The ground shook unmercilessly for a few minutes before it suddenly stopped. Willow clambered to her feet, expecting to see to the edge of town because she knew every house in the neighbourhood would be flattened. To her surprise, every house was still standing, and as she turned slowly around, she saw through the entrance to the park two figures standing on the grass. Recognising Oz straight away, she ran to them.   
  
"Oz," she shouted, smiling as she approached them. "Thank goodness, I was so worried, something's wrong with Giles."  
  
"Oz, who is Oz?" Cordelia asked with little interest.  
  
"Oz," Willow repeated cautiously.  
  
Oz simply looked at her, still retaining his customary silence. The ground began to shake again. Willow struggled to retain her footing. Earth, she thought, Oz was Earth.  
  
"Are you creating these earthquakes?" she asked.  
  
He said nothing, but Cordelia answered for him. "He doesn't have to answer you," she said disdainfully, "He is Guardian of the Earth, the powers of mystery and silence."  
  
"Oh, he's silent all right," said Willow grumpily.  
  
~~~~~  
  
She turned and ran out of the park. It was pointless trying to talk to them, they weren't them anymore; they had been possessed. She ran the rest of the way to Buffy's house and knocked on the door desperately. It seemed an eternity before Buffy answered, and when she did Willow almost dived through the door, gasping and out of breath. Buffy caught her before she hit the floor.  
  
"Will, what on earth is the matter, are you all right?" She was concerned, she'd never seen Willow this upset, unless it was in one of those Armageddon-type situations, but it was Buffy that usually knew about them first.  
  
"No, no," Willow gasped shaking her head for emphasis.  
  
Buffy took her into the living room and sat her on the couch. "Calm down," she said.   
"And tell me what the matter is."  
  
"The...the ritual," said Willow, still out of breath, but regaining some of her composure. "It went wrong, something happened."  
  
"What happened?" Buffy asked, her nervousness increasing.  
  
"I was invoking the guardians of the watchtowers, and as I finished lightning hit or something, and I was knocked out. I think we all were, and when I woke up, they were gone."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Will, wait a minute, who was gone?"  
  
"Oz, Giles, Xander and Cordy. They were gone. So I went to Giles to see where they were, and he was sitting in his bedroom in a ring of fire - "  
  
"What!" Slow down, a ring of what?!" Buffy said incredulously.  
  
"A ring of fire, I think, somehow, they were possessed by the force of the guardians. Giles was sitting at the South of the circle, representing the element fire and now he controls it. Oz was Earth and he can create earthquakes."  
  
"The earthquake just now, Oz did it?!" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yes, he was with Cordy, but I can't find Xander anywhere!"  
  
Buffy was silent, thinking of a way to sort out the mess her best friend had accidentally created.  
  
"Okay," she said confidently, not feeling inwardly the emotion she was expressing outwardly. "We're going to go back to the library and look for...what's the word?"  
  
"Precedents?" Willow prompted hopefully.  
  
"Yeah, some of those, see if this has happened before and how we can reverse it. You do the research, and I'll gather up the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, okay?"  
  
"Yes, but Buffy be careful. They're dangerous; they're not our friends right now. They believe they're mystical forces."  
  
"Mystical -" Buffy started to speak but trailed off thinking intently. "Could this have something to do with that hocus pocus Giles said was going to go down tonight?"  
  
"Yes, the mystical energy. Perhaps, its good energy and the guardians are protectors so maybe -"   
  
"Right. We've got a plan, let's get to it," Buffy said resolutely.   
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
The library was a mess when Buffy and Willow entered it.   
  
"Wow, I sure missed some party," Buffy exclaimed as she saw the devastation.   
  
Books were scattered everywhere, half-burnt candles were lying all over the counter and the floor. Pieces of paper and card index were upturned in heaps.  
  
"So Giles is Fire and Oz is Earth, the elements they represented during the ritual?" Buffy asked as they looked through some of Willow's books they salvaged from the floor.  
  
"Yes, and that means Cordy is Air and Xander is Water." Willow replied as she flicked through book after book, searching for something useful.  
  
"Right, so what kind of power are they capable of?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, if Oz can create earthquakes, then perhaps Xander could create a flood?" Willow suggested.  
  
"Great, just great. That's all we need, Xander going all Moses on us," Buffy grumbled.  
  
"I'm sorry, really Buffy. This is all my fault," Willow said sorrowfully.  
  
Buffy went up to her friend and gave her a hug. "No, no, it was an accident. You couldn't have any idea this would happen. We'll work it out, I promise. We just need to figure out a way to round them up, and to do that, I need to know what they're capable of. What about Cordy?"  
  
"Well, she's air, which means wind, so she could create gales or high winds, or... or a tornado, maybe?"  
  
Buffy slammed a book down on the table. "I'm a slayer, how the heck do I stand up against mystical forces controlling the weather?"   
  
Willow gave a small half-smile. "You've done it before."  
  
Buffy smiled back. "I guess. Come on, let's get to work. You do the research, I'll go and see if I can find them. Where are they?"  
  
"Oh, Giles was at his apartment. Cordy and Oz were in the park. I didn't see Xander."  
  
"Right, I'll see you later. I'll try to be back in an hour."  
  
Willow sat down to her books as Buffy strode determinedly out of the library.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Buffy decided to head for the park first. It was closest, and there was more chance that Giles would stay where he was. He would be easier to locate than searching all over town for Cordy and Oz. She entered the park cautiously, slayer instinct immediately on guard and found Oz and Cordy exactly where Willow had said they would be on the grass. They didn't seem to be doing anything but sitting there and   
  
Buffy pondered how she was going to get them into the library. They didn't seem like the kind of people that would chase her if she tried to bait them, and they could probably send her to Timbuktu before they would do that. She decided to go with the forceful approach, just grab them and run and deal with anything they tried to throw at her as they threw it.  
  
She sneaked up behind them and grabbed them both by the shoulder.   
  
"Right you two, we're going for a little walk."  
  
Astonishingly, they said nothing, but quietly walked where she directed them. 'This is too easy,' she thought, wondering if Giles would put up with the same treatment. 'Well, I suppose maybe; they aren't demons, I just expect the unexpected to put up a fight.' she thought. They were silent all the way to the library and when they went in, Willow looked up with just as an astonished look on her face.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"How did you manage to get them here?" she asked as Buffy locked them into Giles' weapon cage.  
  
"I told them to walk and they...walked," she answered. "Let's hope Giles and Xander give me as little trouble."  
  
As she approached Giles apartment, she, too, saw the flame in his window and quickened her pace. He was just as silent and stubborn as he had been when Willow tried to talk to him and refused to move, simply raising his wall of fire higher every time she tried to get close to him.  
  
Deciding it was better to find Xander and deal with Giles later, she left and began a systematic search of the town for Xander.   
Logically thinking he was representative of water, she tried every street near the beach and then walked along it, eventually finding him near the pier.  
He seemed to be making the waves higher and higher. He ignored her at first when she called him Xander so she decided to go with the Wicca concept.  
  
"Guardian of the watchtower of the ... damn it which watchtower is water. Giles was south, Cordy East and Oz was North. Oh west. Guardian of the watchtower of the West, I ask you to come with me."  
  
The Guardian Xander turned slowly with a look of disdain that the real Xander usually held especially for the 'so-called' lunch they got at school. "You dare to order me!" he barked. As he spoke, Buffy saw a huge wave rise from the ocean and head towards the beach. It was a tidal wave and looked as though it could engulf most of Sunnydale.  
  
"Please, I ask, not order. You aren't supposed to be here. You've taken the body of one of my friends and we want him back," Buffy said desperately with one eye on the huge wave still heading for the shore.   
  
There was silence for a moment and then the guardian spoke again. "This form is not mine, it is limiting. I do not wish it any longer. I prefer my own non-corporeal form. How do you propose to release me?"  
  
Buffy thought for second, and hopeful that a noncommittal reply would be enough, said, "Um, we're working on it?" 

* * * * *  
  
Willow was still searching through the books when Buffy returned with Xander and Giles. She unlocked the cage and let Oz and Cordy out and then walked over to where Willow was sitting.  
  
Willow quietly whispered so only Buffy could hear. "Was that a good idea?"  
  
"Relax Will, they're here to help. They don't like being like this; it's too limiting for them." She turned to the others who were simply standing there. "Now, can you help us figure out how this happened and how we can get everything back the way it was?"  
  
Giles/Guardian of Fire stepped forward and picked up a book and began to look through it. Oz/Guardian of Earth stepped forward and bent to look intently at Willow.  
  
"You brought us here, you invoked us."  
  
"Um, yes I did, well not on purpose ... um, sorry?" she said quietly.  
  
"You control the force of Emiliasticus?" he asked again.  
  
"The force of Emilia-whatticus?" she said surprised.  
  
"The force of Emiliasticus," said Cordelia/Guardian of Air as she too stepped forward. "It is a mystical force that is released every one hundred years to suppress the evil that exists on the planet."  
  
Buffy looked up. "Could that be the force Giles was on about this afternoon?"   
  
"Yes! It could be, where was the book he was looking at this afternoon?" They began a frantic search of the library as Xander/Guardian of Water climbed up on the counter and lay down.   
  
"You could give us some help," Buffy complained. Xander/Guardian of Water stared at her, but didn't design to give her a reply.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Found it!" shouted Willow from underneath a table. She crawled out and held the book aloft like a trophy. She immediately went to the index and found the page Giles had been looking at.  
  
"The Power of Emiliasticus," she read. "Released once every hundred years is a mystical force of good energy intended to suppress the forces of darkness below the earth for 48 hours."  
  
"And..." Buffy prompted.  
  
"And that's it," Willow finished. She held out the page to Buffy and showed her the tiny paragraph. "There's nothing more on it."  
  
Buffy sighed in exasperation. "Well, that's just great. Ancient writers, they write these things and create these energies and they don't come up with any plan-B just in case someone accidentally creates a ritual that releases other mystical forces. How irresponsible is that!"   
  
"The answer is simple if you stop to think about it," Oz/Guardian of Earth said irritatingly.  
  
Buffy snapped and stepping forward grabbed him by the collar. "If you don't tell me right now what you know, then I'll knock you out of Oz, and I don't care where you end up!"  
  
Disentangling himself from her grip, Oz/Guardian of Earth walked over to Willow and laid a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"She is the key," he said simply.  
  
"What!" Willow gulped. "What does it have to do with me?"  
  
"You cast the circle," he continued. "You invoked us, you were the spirit that bound us to the mortal realm, and only you can return us to our proper place."  
  
"Wait a sec here," Buffy interrupted. "You're saying Willow is the key. What exactly does she have to do to get you guys back to wherever you came from?"  
  
"She must cast the circle again," Giles/Guardian of Fire said. "She must bind us together again and send us back. Then everything will return to its proper place. We will be free."  
  
"Oh that's just great," Buffy said sarcastically. "What about the bodies you inhabit? What will happen to them?"  
  
"They should return to normal," Xander/Guardian of Water replied. "With only negligible damage."  
  
Buffy turned to Willow. "They are really starting to irritate me, you know."  
  
"They might be right," said Willow, immediately trying to remember anything she'd read in a Wicca book on the subject.  
  
"Will, what if it's dangerous?" Buffy began.  
  
"If it's the only way we'll get the others back then its a risk I'm willing to take." She nodded at Buffy resolutely. "Come on, we need to get the circle set up again. Let's get this over with."  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
Willow took her former place in the centre of the circle. She looked around her and saw the Guardians ranged around her in the places they had been before watching her intently. This definitely had to rank up there with being on-stage in front of all her friends and family and having to sing something. She closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure, then took a deep breath and began her relaxing meditative chant that she always did before a ritual to concentrate her mind.  
  
Leaning on the counter, Buffy watched with concern as Willow began the circle casting. She knew her friend was more than capable of handling herself in dangerous situations, but she felt impotent at not being able to do anything to help. She felt out of the loop. As Willow began her chant, she felt she should be doing something. She watched as Willow turned to each of their friends in turn and attempted to release the Guardians back to their own plane of existence. She looked up involuntarily as she heard thunder clouds gather outside. Everything that happened before seemed to be happening again, that was a good thing. Or was it? She wasn't sure.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Within the circle, Willow too heard the thunder and connected it to the casting a few hours before. The guardians didn't seem unduly worried so she presumed she was doing everything right. But then again, the guardians never seemed unduly worried so she didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. She finished releasing all the Guardians in turn and waited...nothing happened. The thunder outside grew louder and louder and she looked over to Buffy who was standing at the counter looking worried. They exchanged glances as if to say, "Well...?" Then suddenly everything went blank.  
  
As Buffy exchanged glances with Willow, a sudden flash of bright light, that she decided later must have been lightning came between them. Buffy shielded her eyes automatically. When she looked back, all five of her friends were lying unconscious on the floor. She rushed over to Willow in the centre of the circle and patted her on the face saying her name over and over to try to wake her up.  
  
Willow opened her eyes and groaned slightly. "Buffy ... ?" she whispered. "Did it work?"  
  
"I don't know, they're still unconscious."  
  
Willow struggled to her feet and rushed over to Oz trying to wake him up, Buffy did the same with Giles.   
  
Soon their four friends were waking up.  
  
"What happened?" Xander asked groggily.  
  
"It's a long story," said Buffy, smiling first at him and then at Willow.  
  
Oz put his arm around his girlfriend and hugged her close.  
  
"Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale," he said with concern.  
  
"I'm fine," she replied with a smile. "Just glad you're you."  
  
"Who else would I be?" Oz inquired with tantamount to a bewildered look on his usually serene features.  
  
"You'd be surprised," she answered with a smile.  
  
  
* * * * *   
  
  
"That is so weird," Cordelia kept repeating. "I don't remember any of it."  
  
"None of us do, Cordy," Xander replied. "And I think it's best if it stays that way."  
  
"I'm really sorry you guys," Willow repeated.  
  
"Hey," Buffy said. "It's not your fault, you don't have to keep apologising."  
  
"Buffy's right, Willow," Giles cut in. "You had no control over the forces that were released the other night, nor did any of us know what impact they would have on our actions. It really is no ones fault."  
  
"Does the fact that it's no ones fault have anything to do with the fact that you didn't research that mystical energy stuff properly?" Xander asked, gazing steadfastly at Giles.  
  
"No," he said simply and firmly, not looking any of them in the eye.  
  
"Uh-huh," Xander replied giving a knowing look to everyone at the table.  
  
"I can't be expected to keep track of every mystical occurrence, especially as we're living on a hellmouth," Giles said defensively.  
  
"Giles, chill," Buffy said. "Xander's just trying to get a reaction out of you."  
  
"And it never fails to work," Xander said gleefully.  
  
"Yes, well Xander might not be so pleased when he finds himself rearranging my card indexes after classes today," Giles said demurely.  
  
Xander looked as though he'd just swallowed a bug. "Woah...Giles, slow down there. Surely you must know I'm only joking?"  
  
"Falls for it every time," Giles said, a wide smile sweeping across his face.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Oz pulled Willow aside as the others chattered. "Hey you, are you going to leave it a little longer before you try another ritual next time?"  
  
Willow tried to smile, then frowned again. "I think I'll give the whole 'witch' thing up for good. It causes too much trouble."  
  
"No, don't do that," Oz said comfortingly. "Look on this as a learning experience."  
  
"Maybe," Willow said, not really meaning it.  
  
"This is one of your dreams. Without dreams, we're nothing. You've got to stick with it. You'll get better; you know you will." He smiled. "I have faith in you."  
  
"Even though I had you possessed by a non-corporeal mystical entity?" Willow asked hopefully.  
  
"Even though you had me possessed by a non-corporeal mystical entity," he said. "Though if you're going to do that again, could you try and get the spirit of Jimi Hendrix or someone like that to possess me? It might improve my guitar playing skills."  
  
Willow grinned and said resolutely, "I'll do my best."  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


End file.
